Damsel
by Tara1993
Summary: Troy kidnaps Dani hoping to gain knowledge about the V3 mole. "So, do you normally make breakfast in bed for the kidnapping victims you save?" He smiled. "No, just you.", "It's a shame; if you weren't dressing my wounds this could be pretty romantic.", "Who says it can't be?" (Oneshot turned chapter story)
1. Chapter 1

**I've been playing with this storyline for quite some time now but never knew how to get it out with it making sense. I had wanted to make this a multi chapter, with a build up to this moment but nothing was coming so I decided just play it out as a oneshot. That's not to say that I couldn't now turn this into a multi chapter, but as of right now it's just a simple oneshot. I hope you all like it! If you're a fan of Troy, please don't bite my head off, I know I portrayed him in a pretty bad light here, but every story needs a villan and Troy just happens to be mine. Also, the title of this story puts me off, but I haven't been able to think of anything better. If you can come up with something then by all means, let me know and I'll change the name because right now I am not happy with it. Alright, enough of me talking, on with the show!**

* * *

It was supposed to be a good day. It had started out that way at least. Today was her four month anniversary with V3 and while Dani had told Connor it wasn't all that big of a deal, to him it was cause for celebration. Dani knew what he was doing though, rumors were still swarming in the media about the FBI raid, and that was well over a month ago. Connor was still a nervous wreck about it and he wanted to give everyone a reason to cut loose and relax. Dani's 'anniversary' was the perfect excuse. She didn't mind really, she wasn't one to turn down a good party, especially if it made her co workers a bit more relaxed. Paloma had sent a garment bag over to her house a few hours ago. While it was her anniversary, she'd only stopped into the office for a few hours in the morning; she didn't have any clients scheduled for the day so she'd spent it at home going over case files. Paloma had helped her pick out an outfit and promised that as soon as she could get the people from the fashion department upstairs to hand it over, she'd have it sent to her house.

Dani stood in front of the mirror now, checking herself over. The dress was sapphire blue and fitted to her curves. It stopped just above her knee and showed off, what Dani deemed, a tasteful amount of cleavage. She slipped on a pair of black high heels and pinned her curls off to the side in a low ponytail. She smiled at herself in the mirror, she looked good.

It was almost six thirty by the time Dani made her way downstairs. Connor had promised a car would pick her up around then. The party was due to start around eight but with traffic it would take some time to get into the city.

She didn't know who was supposed to pick her up; somewhere in the back of her mind a small voice hoped it'd be Nico. She wasn't quite sure if they were on even footing yet, after six months of radio silence and then about a month of him being kind of a prick once she'd been hired at V3. He had been nicer to her recently though. He was there for her when everything went down with Carl, and that meant a lot to her. Plus if she was honest she was a little nervous about tonight, she wasn't exactly in the mood to be the center of attention, and Nico always put her at ease.

At six thirty on the dot a knock came at her door. She walked over and opened it, having fully convinced herself that tall, dark and scary would be on the other side.

"Troy?" This wasn't what she'd expected.

"Doctor." Dani looked him over quickly, he seemed a bit off.

"You're my ride I suppose?" His eyes darted nervously back to the car. Something was definitely wrong. Troy might be an ass sometimes but he was always well put together, right now he wasn't. He was sweating a bit, his eyes looked bloodshot and his clothes were wrinkled.

"Yes, if you're ready." Dani nodded and started out the door. He moved in front of her, making his way to the car. With his back turned Dani slipped her cell phone from her purse and brought up Nico's number. She wouldn't call him yet, just in case she was being paranoid, but she'd be ready just in case.  
She slipped into the car and tucked the phone underneath her leg so Troy wouldn't see it, but it would still be in reach if she needed it. He started the engine and sped out of her driveway. She was quiet for a while, watching his driving and the turns he took. She knew how to get to V3, and she knew the exact moment when he turned the wrong way.

"I think you might have missed our turn off." She tried to sound nonchalant about it, trying not to give herself away. She slid the phone out from under her leg and turned it on, her finger hovering over the call button.

"We're not going to V3 tonight Doctor." Troy said.

"What, did they move the party and not tell me? That's so like Connor." She kept her voice light, waiting for him to say what she needed him to.

"No, the party's still going on, you just won't be there."  
That was all she needed. She pressed call and then turned the volume down; if Nico made any noise she didn't want to risk Troy hearing it.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Nico was heading to his office when he noticed his phone start to ring. He pulled it from his pocket and read Dani's name as it flashed across the screen. He smiled to himself and pressed send, holding the phone to his ear.

"Dani, I hope you didn't call about a wardrobe crisis, I think you're assistant would be better at handling that." He was trying to be funny, but Dani didn't answer him.

"Dani?" Suddenly he heard her voice but she wasn't talking to him.

"Where are you taking me Troy?" She heard him say.  
"I need some answers from you Doctor Santino and you're going to give them to me." Fear iced his veins, how could he have not seen this coming? He had to figure out where they were headed, and fast. He needed to make a call, but he didn't want to hang up on Dani. He looked around and spotted Paloma walking towards him.  
"Paloma, I need to borrow you're cell phone." She smiled up at him, and then gave him a confused look.

"Something wrong with yours?" She asked. He could lie and say it wasn't working or he could just tell her the truth.

"Troy kidnapped Dani, she called me but I need another phone to trace her call." He watched the color drain from her face.

"What?" Her voice was quiet.

"Cell phone Paloma." She shook her head and handed him her cell phone.

"I can't believe this." She whispered. Nico watched her closely as he dialed. He knew Paloma had been working closer with Troy lately; he also knew Troy and suddenly become very aware of where Dani was at all times. It was obvious that Paloma had given Troy some kind of information, weather she did so willingly or not he didn't care, he could see the guilt written on her face.  
"She'll be alright Paloma." He said, putting the cell phone to his ear as the call connected.  
"Xeno, I need you to do me a favor, you still have Dr. Santinos' cell phone number, great, I need a trace, that's fine, call me back as soon as you can." He hung up and handed the phone back to Paloma.

"You're sure she'll be alright?" She asked.

"You know Dani, if she doesn't kick his ass before I get there, I'll take care of it." Paloma offered a weak smile and nodded, her eyes met his and her smile widened.  
"You really do love her don't you?" She took him by surprise with that; he didn't think he was that transparent about his feelings toward Dani. Although maybe it was obvious to everyone, well, everyone but Dani. He cleared his thoughts; he didn't have time to think about it right now.

"I need you to help me out okay?" Paloma nodded.

"Connor is throwing Dani a party here in about an hour. I don't know how long this is going to take; I need you to stall until I get things figured out, alright?"

"Absolutely."

"I'll let you know when she's safe." She nodded and watched him make his way down the stairs and out of the building.

He listened to Dani continue to talk to Troy as he made his way to his car. He'd gotten a clear read off Troy the second he met him. Troy was a hair trigger, if he was mad, he blew up at you. No careful planning, no using his words, just pure anger. In other words, he wasn't someone you wanted to purposely piss off. Dani was smart; he hoped she'd realize that too. He started the engine and then realized if he wanted Xeno to call him back, he'd have to hang up on Dani. He'd given Paloma her cell phone back; she'd need it if he needed to get in touch with her again.

He listened carefully, the phone was quiet. He could hear the sounds of Troy driving but Dani hadn't said anything in about a minute.

"Dani, I'll be there as soon as I can." He said quietly. He knew she probably couldn't hear him. Wherever her cell phone was it was concealed somewhere, no way she had it up to her ear, Troy would have tossed it out the window if he saw it. It took him a few seconds to press the 'end call' button. Not a minute after he did Xeno called him, they'd gotten the trace, and he could take Nico right to her.

"Lead the way Xeno." He put the car in drive and took off.

When Troy finally stopped the house they were outside of was old and empty. She kicked off her shoes in the backseat. When he got out of the car she scrambled to find some place to put her cell phone, no way was she going in that house without a way to call Nico or the cops. The dress had no pockets and was too tight for her to hid it anywhere below her waist, he'd see it for sure. At the last second she tucked it inside her bra, not knowing how else to hide it, she just hoped he wouldn't notice. Troy grabbed hold of her wrist and hauled her out of the car. It worried her a little that he wasn't even trying to conceal where they were. Either he was that sure of himself that he didn't think he'd get caught, or he didn't intend for her to live long enough to tell anyone where they'd been. She tried not to think about that last one, Troy might be a lot of things but she didn't think he was a killer.

He took her in through the front door and pushed her into a metal folding chair in the middle of what used to be a living room. She watched him grab four pieces of rope and tie her arms and legs to the chair. She knew she should have tried to run, or fight back but she wasn't exactly strong, Troy would over power her in a second, she had no doubt about that. She'd also seen the glint of a metal gun in his waistband and while she didn't think he was a killer, there was no way she was going to tempt it. So instead she sat still and let him tie her tight to the chair, her skin chafing and her heart pounding.

"I don't know what you think you're going to get out of me." She said honestly.

"You're gonna tell me who's been stealing from me."  
"From you? It's not your company Troy, it's Connors, and somehow I don't think he's approved this method of questioning."  
"Connor's to scared to do anything about it, he's more worried about his image than this company surviving, I am doing what's best here!" He shouted at her.

"I am not telling you anything." She kept her voice even.

"You're gonna tell me who came to you about the FBI raid. I know someone told you they were responsible."

"You don't know that, and even if someone did come to me, I wouldn't tell you, I have a responsibility to my patients, I won't rat them out." Troy was fuming, his breathing was uneven, he squeezed his eyes shut tight and pulled the gun from his belt.

"Tell me, now." She watched him carefully, his hand shook slightly.

"You're not gonna kill me Troy." She could say it with confidence. He wouldn't kill her.

"Don't be so quick to judge." He said, stepping closer to her.

"Why is this so important to you?" She asked.

"Connor gave me everything; I won't see someone take it all away, now tell me, who it is!" He raised his voice again.

"I won't tell you that." He brought the handle of the gun down hard against her left temple and then she only saw black.

Nico pulled up to the house Xeno directed him too. He asked him to call a few of his friends on the force and keep them on standby just in case. Nico would go in alone; he didn't want half the NYPD and a SWAT team pulling up outside and spooking Troy even more. No it would make more sense if he went in first and got Dani out, and then the police could do what they wanted with Troy.

The house was abandoned and run down; a black four door was parked in the driveway. He walked around the front of the building, he could hear voices inside but the shades were drawn and curtains were closed so he couldn't see inside. He crept around back and found a rear entrance; this would be the best way in. Far enough from the front room where Troy was, that he'd still have the element of surprise. The door was old and rusted and Nico knew it would squeak if he opened it to far or to fast so he pushed it open slowly, just enough so he could slip in. He left it cracked open, if he and Dani needed a quick escape route he wanted all of his options open, for all he knew Troy had barricaded the front door.

He found himself in a kitchen with two hallways branching off from it, one to either side of him. He made his way down the one to the right first. He drew his gun slowly, he didn't like it, but he wasn't taking any chances. The first hallway led to the front room, He saw Dani, and he tried to take in as much of her condition as he could from where he hid around the corner. She was wearing a tight blue dress but it was still in good shape, Nico let out a silent sigh of relief, the last thing Troy needed was to add a sexual assault to all this.

Her hands and feet were tied to a chair with rope, her wrists were red and chafing badly, she needed to stop squirming. She was barefoot, which was good, if they needed to make a quick exit there was no way she would have been able to run in those stilts she always wore. She was blinking, her expression was dazed, and she had a cut and a bump on her left temple that was swelling. Troy had hit her; he saw red for a second, and then told himself to calm down. He chanced a look into the rest of the room. He was on the wrong end. He could get to Dani from here but Troy would see him, he needed to get behind Troy, the element of surprise was all he had here.

He re traced his steps back to the kitchen and took the second hallway. This one led to a bedroom which had a door that opened up into the other side of the living room. The door had been pulled off its hinges so he had to be careful to stay hidden for as long as possible. He took in the rest of the scene in front of him. Troy wanted information, and while he wouldn't kill Dani for it, it looked like he wouldn't have any problem making her suffer. The gun was tucked back at his waist which Nico was grateful for, but he wasn't taking any chances. He moved close enough to the door that he could see Dani clearly; he needed to let her know he was here. She had to work with him if there were going to get out of here. He kept his eyes on her and waited until she caught his gaze. Her eyes widened and for a second she looked like she was going to say something but then she thought better of it. He raised a finger to his lips, letting her know to stay quiet. She gave him a small nod and turned her focus back to Troy.

He moved so fast that Dani barely believed what she was seeing. He crept up behind Troy, wrapped an arm around his throat and got in a solid blow to what she assumed was some kind of secrete Navy SEAL pressure point that only he would know of. Troy collapsed instantly, he was still breathing, just passed out. Nico stepped around him and made his way quickly to her.

"You alright?" He asked as he untied her feet and then reached around her to free her hands.

"I guess." She said quietly. She closed her eyes, he was so close she could feel the heat coming off his body, she breathed in his scent and it calmed her. She opened her eyes when he pulled back.

"He won't be out long, he'll be coming to any second, we gotta go, can you run?" She took his hand and held on tight. He pulled her up from the chair and caught her when the dizziness hit her.

"My head." She lifted her hand to her temple and it came away bloody, her eyes widened and her skin lost its color.

"You're okay Dani, it's just a cut." She heard Troy groaning on the floor.

"We have to go, come on." She staggered a few feet and then stopped. He looked back at her, worried; Troy must have hit her harder than he thought. Speaking of, he was coming around on the floor.

"You need to get out, Dani, go."  
"I am not leaving you." She protested.

"Dani."  
"Where am I supposed to go?"  
"Wait outside, call the police, just go, I'll be fine." She held his gaze for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Promise me."  
"Dani." He glance back at Troy, he'd be fully awake in seconds.

"Promise me."  
"I promise, now please." She darted out the back door and onto the street. She ducked behind Nico's car, pulled her phone out and called the cops.

She heard nothing coming from the house for minutes on end and that worried her more than anything. Faintly she heard sirens in the distance; she just hoped they'd get here quick. The sirens got louder and still no one left the house. As the first police car pulled around the corner she started up the drive for the door, she had to know what was going on. She barely made it to the door before she heard a gunshot go off. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide. Still no one left the house. Five police cars had pulled up now, a few officers were trying to move her back but she wouldn't budge, not until someone came out of that house. Finally the door opened and Nico stepped outside. The police swarmed inside and Dani rushed up to him, throwing the past six months out the door and wrapping her arms around him tight.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I am fine Dani."  
"You're not shot?" She pulled back and looked at him.

"No, I grazed his arm, he'll be fine." He glanced back at the door, and the officers leading Troy out of the house.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, gazing down into her eyes. She couldn't answer, she just shook her head. She wasn't a particularly needy person, she could hold her own but she needed to break now, just a little, so she let Nico wrap her tight in his arms and she played the damsel in distress to his knight in shining armor, if only for a few minutes.

"Let's get you home okay." He whispered in her ear. She nodded and followed him to his car.

She was silent on the drive home, staring numbly out the window until they reached her house and Nico cut the engine.

"Alright?" He reached across and let his hand rest on her shoulder. "You should get that cut cleaned up." He said, she shook her head, the adrenalin had faded and she was exhausted and in shock. He sighed and stepped out of the car, walked around to her side and helped her out.

"Come on, I'll help you." She stepped out of the car and let out a sad laugh at the height difference between them.

"I left my shoes in his car." She said quietly. He turned and looked down at her; he was a good head taller than her without the added height from her heels.

"We'll get um back." She shook her head.

"Don't bother, I don't want them anymore." She said, walking ahead of him. He followed her into the house and up the stairs to the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. She stood still for a few seconds trying to decide what she wanted to do.

"Give me a second." She said quietly. She grabbed a change of clothes and closed the bathroom door. He heard the shower running so he settled himself into a chair by her bed and called Paloma. He let her know Dani was alright but that they wouldn't be making it to any party tonight. Paloma told him that was fine Connor canceled the party anyway, to busy handling more press after Troy's little outburst. Nico promised he'd have Dani call her when she could and then hung up. He heard the shower turn off and it was quiet for a few minutes before the door opened and Dani stepped out. Her hair was damp and curling around her face and her eyes looked a bit hallow.

"Alright." He followed her into the bathroom. Under the bright lights the cut didn't look as bad as he thought, the bruise was going to hurt for a while and he told her so. He cleaned the cut and bandaged it then looked down at her.

"Dani." She shook her head and he watched the tears well up in her eyes. She was in shock; he knew firsthand what that looked like.

"Come on, you need sleep." He walked with her back into the bedroom; she sat on the edge of the bed, a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Dani you can talk to me, what do you need?" He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

She was terrified to say what she really wanted to but she knew it was the only way she was going to feel safe tonight.

"Will you stay here with me?" Her voice cracked but she looked up at him.

"You're sure?" She nodded.

"You'll keep me safe." He wasn't sure his heart had ever hurt as much as it did when she said that.

"Of course I will Dani, I always will." She wrapped her arms around him and he held her close. He kissed her hair and her forehead; he wondered what was wrong with him, where all this courage and openness had come from.

"I'll stay here with you." He said. She nodded and pulled the covers back on the bed; she crawled over to her side and wrapped herself in the blankets. Nico kicked off his shoes and draped his jacket over the chair he'd sat in minutes ago, and then slid in next to her. She flicked the lights off and curled up next to him. She seemed at ease, he was nervous, which wasn't something he felt often.

"Nico?" He heard her whisper.

"Yeah." He looked down at her, she was curled up close to his side, and he could see the fresh tears on her face. He sighed, she just wanted someone to keep her safe tonight, he was reading too much into it. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I promise I am not normally this clingy." He laughed and shook his head; only Dani could make jokes at a time like this.

"It's alright, I don't mind." She looked up at him again, her eyes clearer this time.

"You saved my life." He nodded.

"I'd do it again." He wasn't sure where that admission came from, but it was true. She reached a hand up to touch his face; he closed his eyes and held her hand there. He didn't expect anything more, certainly not for her to kiss him, but he felt her lips push gently against his and he let his hand weave its way into her hair, holding her close.

"Thank you." She said when she pulled away to breath. He shook his head and leaned in to kiss her again.

"No, thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

**So I decided to add a few more chapters to this. It probably won't be to long but I wanted to give it a little more of a wrap up. This one got away from me, there was supposed to be alot more stuff going on with other people in this chapter but these two kept wanting to flirt and after that kiss the other night who was I to blame them. So insted of a chapter with a bunch of other people you get a chapter full of Dani and Nico fluff and flirting, which isn't really a bad thing at all. Hopefully Nico isn't to out of character here, I wanted to play a little bit more with his humorous side, it's something we don't see often but that I think is pretty great and I thought I'd have a go at it. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're going to tell me everything you know Doctor Santino." Troy said menacingly, a bright shiny gun gripped tightly in his hand.

"I already told you, I am not telling you a damn thing." She was tied to a chair; she could feel the bruises forming on her wrists and ankles.

"That's a shame Doctor, but don't worry, I have a few other ways of making you talk." He walked into a darkened room and disappeared for a few seconds, she wasn't sure what was happening. When he came back out he was pulling another man along behind him, his head was down, and she couldn't see who it was. Troy pushed the man onto his knees and leveled the gun at his temple.

"Feel like talking now Doctor?" Dani heard the click of the gun cocking as the man lifted his head and she stared into Nico's eyes.

"No! You leave him alone!" She screamed at Troy, pulled so hard at the ropes holding her she was surprised they didn't snap.  
"Not exactly the answer I wanted to hear." He turned his gaze on Nico and braced his hand on the gun, his finger tight on the trigger.  
"No!"  
Dani shot up in bed, she was breathing so fast she felt dizzy and she could feel beads of sweat rolling down her back. She tried to take a few calming breaths but it wasn't working to well. She reached her hand up to push her hair out of her face and instead got caught on the bandage stuck to the side of her face. Her eyes widened, she thought it was a dream, now she knew she was wrong. She glanced around frantically as the events of last night played out in her head, Nico had brought her home, and he was laying here with her when she fell asleep so where was he now? She hadn't heard anything in the middle of the night, had Troy somehow gotten out and come back for him, did he send someone else?

She knew she wasn't thinking logically but her mind was moving too fast.

"Nico!" Her voice sounded frightening and broken, had she been screaming in her sleep that bad? When no one answered she flew into a full panic. She tossed the covers back from her bed and moved to stand up but her legs gave out underneath her and her vision went spotty.

She cursed as she tried to steady herself.

"Nico!" She called for him again. Her breathing hadn't slowed, her vision was tunneling, she knew if she didn't calm down she'd pass out. Finally she heard footsteps racing up the stairs. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again she'd be able to see better.

"Dani, hey, I am right here okay." She felt his hands grab her arms and she tried to open her eyes to make sure he was okay but she just couldn't.

"Breath Dani." He pushed her head down between her legs, vaguely remembering that it was supposed to help when you were going to pass out. She shook him off though and cracked her eyes to look at him.

"You're okay."

"I am fine Dani, I am right here." She closed her eyes and nodded then went limp in his arms. He picked her up and laid her back down in bed.

"Jesus Dani." He whispered, more to himself. She was breathing better now and her pulse was strong. He brushed the hair out of her face and shook his head, this time he'd wait for her to wake up before he left.

A few hours later Dani woke up slowly, her head was pounding with what she knew was going to be a pretty fierce migraine. Her arms and legs felt heavy and bruised and she had a horrible pain in her stomach that she knew was probably hunger. She groaned against the light from the window and tried to squeeze her eyes shut tighter but that just made it worse.

"Dani?" She opened her eyes slowly to the voice and found Nico sitting next to her. She looked around confused for a second.

"I passed out." She said, he nodded.  
"How do you feel?"  
"Like I got hit by a truck." He gave a small laugh.

"You're probably pretty hungry; do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"You don't have to,"  
"Dani," He interrupted her; she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I am here for you okay, whatever you need." She stared into his eyes for a few seconds, somewhat hesitant to break eye contact.

"I dreamt that he shot you." He blinked and pulled her in close.

"I am fine." He whispered. She wrapped her arms around him tight and held on.

"I don't think I've ever been so scared about anything." She said quietly.

"I understand."

She looked up at him, his eyes were open and clear, he'd taken his walls down today, at least for now.

"Do I have PTSD?" She asked. He gave a small smile

"You're the therapist, you tell me." She sighed

"I don't know, I think maybe I am just shaken up over it, I mean no one was hurt badly and it wasn't like I was tortured."  
"That doesn't mean anything Dani, little things can have a big impact on people." She watched his eyes carefully, he understood this, he had firsthand knowledge.

"I am sorry, this is probably really difficult for you."  
"It's not about me." He shook his head and took her hand in his.

"What I went through was different than what you went through, and under different circumstances, but that doesn't mean I don't understand what you're going through." She nodded and gave his hand a small squeeze before letting it go.

"Thank you Nico."

"I am gonna go make you something to eat, I'll get you some pills for the migraine and then we'll have to change the bandage on that cut." She smiled and nodded, he'd take good care of her. He stood to leave but she stopped him short.

"Nico, about last night," He turned to face her

"What about it?"

How did she want to handle this?

"Just, thank you, for being here for me, it meant a lot, it means a lot." He gave a small smile and nodded.

"I'll be right back, don't get up, you'll just pass out again." She snorted and nodded.

"Yes sir."

She lay back in bed and closed her eyes, she needed time to think. Not only was she now dealing with after effects of being held hostage or kidnapped or whatever, but she also had to figure out what was going on between her and Nico. They'd kissed last night, she smiled a bit, they kissed a lot last night. It wasn't anything fiery or super passionate it was, she tried to think of words. It was comforting, it was safe.

"It was pretty damn hot." She whispered to herself. But what was she supposed to do now? Should she ask him his feelings? Should she continue on like it never happened? No she couldn't do that. Maybe she should just go with it, kiss him again and see what happens. She sighed and rubbed at her temples, she didn't need things to be confusing right now, she needed them to be stable. She couldn't deal with fallout from a kidnapping and trying to figure out a relationship at the same time.

Nico came back a few minutes later with a tray full of food and a few pills to fight at her migraine. She ate the food so fast she was sure it would probably only make her stomach hurt more but she couldn't even remember when she'd eaten last and it tasted like heaven so she didn't care.

"Did you make all this?" She said her mouth half full with scrambled eggs.

"Classy." He squinted at her, she shrugged.

"Yes I made it, where did you think it came from?" She swallowed.

"You don't have Xeno down there whipping up banana pancakes?" Nico was stunned, how did she even remember that?  
"That was almost three years ago."  
"They were good pancakes." She took a piece of bacon and handed it to him.

"Hungry?"

"I am fine; do you always turn into a barbarian when you eat?" She rolled her eyes.

"When I can't remember when the last time I ate was, yes I do go full caveman." He smirked and shook his head.

"Well be sure to breath between bites, I am not gonna do the Heimlich on you." She laughed.

"Scared of a little mouth to mouth?" She regretted the words the second they left her mouth, the room got so quiet she could hear herself breathing. She didn't want to break his gaze but she couldn't think of anything to say.  
"Sorry." She said simply.

"It's okay." She popped another forkful of eggs in her mouth and offered a smile.

"And trust me, mouth to mouth doesn't scare me, in fact I've been told I am pretty good at it." She just about choked. She coughed a few times and swallowed then watched him retreat into the bathroom to grab the bandages for her head.

What was with him this morning? She'd never seen him so open before, he was always so guarded and closed up, very rarely did she get to peak behind his walls but she'd never seen anything like this. He was funny, and flirty, and apparently a little bit sexual, none of which bothered her, it was just such a change from the normal, elusive, quiet man she was used to.

She'd finished eating when he walked back into the room; she swallowed the pills as he made his way over to her bed. He set the tray on the floor and sat down in front of her.

"How does it feel?" He asked, peeling off the old bandage.

"Alright, it's just bruised pretty badly, I can tell." He nodded.

"The cut looks okay but you should keep a bandage on it at least for today, we'll see what it looks like tomorrow." She nodded and watched as he got everything ready to clean it up and re dress it.

"So, do you normally make breakfast in bed for the kidnapping victims you save?" He smiled.

"No, just you."

"It's a shame; if you weren't dressing my wounds this could be pretty romantic." She felt like a teenager, what was wrong with her?  
"Who says it can't be?" His look made her throw out any snappy retort she had planned.

He reached a hand up to rub some kind of antiseptic cream on the cut. It stung, she shut her eyes and winced then she felt his lips on hers. He rubbed slowly at the cut on her temple and she couldn't be sure but she thought she let out some kind of moan. He didn't say anything when he pulled back, just picked up the bandage, and turned her head gently so he could see better. He taped the bandage to her head with some kind of tape and then kissed her temple, down her cheek to her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. How could she have ever been nervous about a relationship with this man When he made her feel like this, from something as simple as changing a bandage?  
When they finally pulled apart to breathe he let his head rest against hers.

"Alright?" He asked quietly.

She knew what he meant. He must have picked up on her nervousness earlier; this was his way of letting her know he was okay with where they were going, so long as she was.

"Yeah." She was to breathless to say anything else. He nodded and kissed her once again then gathered up her old bandages and the empty tray.

"I have a few calls to make; I'll just be downstairs okay? You should rest." She nodded wordlessly. He turned and left. She fell back against her pillows and sighed.

"Yeah, defiantly hot."


	3. Chapter 3

**This one came out quicker than I expected but I am on a little bit of a Danico high right now so that's probably why. I'll be pretty busy the next few days though so I am not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out, it could be a while. Hopefully this will tide you over. Enjoy!**

* * *

Eventually Dani fell back asleep; she didn't dream which she was grateful for, and she felt much more rested when she woke up. She stretched and rubbed her forehead, the pills had kicked in and her migraine felt a bit better but she could still feel it. She realized she was hungry again, how long had she been asleep? She glanced at the clock next to her bed which told her it was around noon. Then she realized that didn't mean anything because she had no idea what time she'd woken up the last time, she'd never bothered to look at a clock.

She sighed, she felt completely out of whack. As she lay there deciding what to do next she realized she could hear voices downstairs. She strained and tried to figure out who it was. She knew Nico was one but she couldn't make out the other man's voice clear enough. She decided it was time to get up, or try to get up at least. She sat up slowly and pushed the covers back; when she stood her legs didn't give out under her. She was still a little weak but she felt better than she had earlier, she just needed more food.

Dani walked to the bathroom and tried to make some sense of the mess that her hair had become overnight. She brushed it until it fell in waves around her face like normal. She didn't bother with makeup, there was a bandage covering half of the left side of her face, makeup wouldn't help today.

She walked back into her room and started digging around for a change of clothes, she picked a Hawks T-shirt that TK had given her and a pair of cut off sweats. She ran a hand through her hair after she'd changed and sighed, it was time to get back to reality.

She made her way downstairs trying to make out the conversation going on in her kitchen but whoever it was they were whispering now. It wasn't until she got to the entrance of the room that she realized it was Connor sitting at the island with Nico. They continued talking until Connor spotted her, he smiled and stood.

"Santino." He walked over and wrapped her in a hug which she returned.  
"How ya doin?" Dani shrugged.

"I am alright; better than I was this morning." She said the last part more for Nico's benefit than Connor's, his eyes were taking her in the second he realized she was there, diagnosing and looking her over, but when she said she was fine his gaze calmed and he resorted to just watching her closely like always.

"Well that's good, good. Look Santino, Dani, I can't apologize enough for yesterday, just know that it's being taken care of." He was being sincere; she nodded and gave him a smile.

"Can I ask," Her voice was still rough from the shouting she'd done in her sleep; she cleared her throat and swallowed. Nico instantly stood and moved to get her a glass of water.

"Can I ask what you're doing here?" She took the glass Nico handed her and drank the whole thing, she was thirstier than she thought. He took the empty glass without saying a word and moved back to his seat at the island. It was strange how he knew exactly what she needed before she'd even asked but right now she didn't mind, she was in no shape to make sure she took care of herself, she was strong enough to admit that.

"I just came over to talk to Nico, make sure everything on his end was going okay. He's taking good care of you right?" Connor asked. Dani glanced over at Nico and offered him a smile.

"Yeah, yeah he's been a huge help." Connor nodded and moved back to the island, pulling a chair out for her between the two of them.

"Connor's handling the press as best as he can, you've got a few nosy paparazzi outside your house so you're probably going to have to stay in for a few days." Nico explained, Dani nodded, and then a thought came to her mind.

"What about Lindsey?"  
"I already called her and explained what happened, she's gonna stop by later today to see you and pick up some things but I think it's best if she stay with friends or family until this blows over."

"You'll make sure she's safe." It was more a statement than a question but he answered anyway.

"Of course."

"I'll talk to her about it when she gets here."

"Aside from that you're going to have to give an official statement to the police." He told her.

"When do I have to do that?"  
"Sometime today, if you can. I can have someone come here so you don't have to leave if that's better."

"Yeah, that would be good." Nico nodded and picked up his phone.

"I'll make some calls." He stood and placed a hand on her shoulder "You sure you're okay?" She nodded, she didn't want to say to much in front of Connor but she hoped her eyes relayed the message of 'I am fine, thank you, you're keeping me strong.' He gave her shoulder a small reassuring squeeze and she knew he'd gotten the message.

Connor smiled at her after he'd left.

"You two make quite the team."

She smiled and ran a hand through her hair, trying her hardest not to blush.

"We've just known each other long enough to know what the other is thinking." She said, hoping he'd change the subject.

"I wanted to come by to just let you know that everything is being handled Dani. You don't have to worry about Troy; you don't have to worry about anything. You're position at V3 will still be there whenever you're ready to come back but don't rush yourself, take your time." Dani smiled and nodded.

"Thanks Connor."

"Of course, and if there's anything that I can do for you that Nico hasn't already done please don't hesitate to call me."  
"I won't, thank you Connor, it means a lot." He nodded.

"Well, I am off to do more damage control then. You get better, rest up. I am sure Nico is at your beck and call so abuse the power a little eh?" He winked at her and she laughed.

"Hey, now's the time, if there's anyone you need taken out, or paid off, I am sure he'll handle it for you."

"Doctor Santino is aware that I am not in that business anymore." Nico said, appearing at her side again.

"I am kidding, you two kids have fun. Nico, keep me updated okay?" He nodded.

"I'll see myself out, feel better Santino."  
"Thanks."

She could hear the shouting of the press when Connor opened the door but they muffled to a dull roar once he shut the door behind him.

"How many are out there?" Dani asked.

"Ten or so, they'll leave eventually, don't worry about it." She nodded and turned her attention back to him.

"How are you feeling, really?" He asked, taking her hand in his.

"Better, honestly. I am still a little weak and my head is still pounding but, I feel better. I think I am just hungry still." He smiled.

"Well if you promise to eat like a civilized person I might be able to make us some lunch." She gave his arm a playful smack and laughed.

"I think I can manage that." She said.

He made them both lunch and they sat at her table to eat.

"Is Lindsey alright?" She asked.

"Mostly she's just worried about you, like I said she'll be over later tonight. You have somewhere for her to stay?" Dani sighed.

"Ray's out of town, I could let my mom watch her but, that would only end in disaster. She'll probably just stay with a friend." Nico nodded.

"You should call Paloma." He said after a few minutes.

"I promised her you'd give her a call when you could, she's probably having an anxiety attack wondering how you are." Dani smiled then looked around.

"Do you know where my phone is?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I thought you had it with you last night. Here you can use mine." He picked his phone up and turned it on then handed it to her.

"You don't think I'll snoop through your stuff?" She said with a smile.

"I trust you, besides there's nothing that interesting on there. All the good stuff is on a hard drive at my place."  
"Ah, the good stuff hu?"  
He laughed, which was something new.

"Yes, all the hit men I know and a tally of how many people I've disappeared." Dani laughed.

"Go call Paloma." He smiled and laughed with her.

She stood and walked out of the room; she brought up Paloma's number and hit send.

"Nico, is everything alright?" She answered almost immediately.

"Paloma its Dani."  
"Dani. Oh my gosh are you alright?"  
"I am fine Paloma, a little worse for wear but I'll be better in no time." She heard Paloma breathe a sigh of relief.

"I was worried about you Dani. You sure you're doing okay, there's nothing I can do?"  
"No, really I am fine Paloma, Nico's here with me; he's making sure I am alright."  
"Good, good. Look Dani, I am sorry about Troy, I should have seen this coming."  
"Paloma none of us saw it coming, it's alright."  
"If you're sure."  
"I am, you just keep holding down the fort there, if any of my patients call just explain what's going on, tell them I'll re schedule when I can."  
"I can do that. Just, feel better soon okay?"  
"I will thank you Paloma."

Nico cleaned up the dishes then sat back down at the table to wait for Dani.

"So you're a cat person hu?" She said as she walked back into the room.

"What?"  
"A few pictures of a little black cat, he yours?" She handed him his phone back and smiled.

"Come on, you didn't expect me not to peek at all did you?"

"His name is Onyx and yes he's my cat." She smiled and nodded.

"Well he's very handsome." She sat back down at the table with him.

"The police are sending someone out to get you're statement, they should be here in a few hours." She nodded.

"Anything I need to know?" She asked, He sighed.

"Just be honest, tell them everything, no matter how obscure it seems, tell them everything you remember." She nodded. Her lunch suddenly felt like led in her stomach.

"I've never had to do this before." She said quietly. He took her hand in his and held it tight.

"You'll be alright, it's going to be hard to re live it I know, but it's better to get it over with, and talking about it can help." She let out a small laugh,

"You're starting to sound like me."

"Well, I am spending to much time with you." He was joking she could tell.

"Be careful or I'll corrupt you." He leaned in close and kissed her softly.

"I don't think I'd mind."

"Will you be able to be with me? When the police question me I mean."  
"I can if you want me to." She nodded.

"I'd like that, yeah." She held onto his hand tightly.

He knew he was offering her as much strength as he could, he also knew that sooner or later she'd need to break and then re build. He just wondered how long it was going to take, Dani was stubborn. He knew she might be feeling fine physically but emotionally and mentally, she was probably still really shaken up. He didn't want to push her but he also didn't want her to keep everything bottled in either. He wasn't sure what to do.

An officer arrived at her house around two, he told her that while this would be difficult he'd try to make her as comfortable as possible and if she ever needed to stop to just let him know. Nico sat next to her as she relayed the story, from the moment Troy showed up at the door to finally leaving the house with Nico and driving back home. The officer asked her questions, Dani was sure it was almost a hundred of them. Things that, while they seemed pointless to Dani, she knew would help them figure out why Troy had done it in the first place, what his motive was, apparently he wasn't talking.  
After three hours they finally finished, the officer thanked Dani for her time and hoped that she felt better soon. Nico walked him out and Dani knew they'd probably be gone for a bit, Nico would want to ask questions too. Dani sat back on the couch in her living room and closed her eyes, she was totally exhausted, it was a lot more draining than she had expected. She just needed to close her eyes for a few seconds, catch her second wind.

The next time she opened her eyes the room was dark. She sat up and found Nico next to her, the light from his phone casting his face in blue's and whites.

"Hey." He smiled and switched on a lamp.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I came back in and you were asleep. I figured you were probably pretty exhausted so I let you sleep."  
"How long was I out?"  
"A few hours, you have good timing, Lindsey's on her way over, she said she's bringing food." Dani nodded.  
"You did good Dani, everything you said, it's gonna help. I know it was tiring but I promise they're gonna figure it out."She nodded and let him pull her into a hug.

"I don't think there was any other reason for what he did besides wanting knowledge about this mole at V3."  
"We don't know that yet, for all we know he could be involved, he could be the mole. He might have wanted to make sure you wouldn't talk." She shrugged.

"Don't worry about it now, they'll figure it out." He leaned in to kiss her but his phone beeped, he checked it and smiled.

"That would be your daughter, I'll be right back." He walked outside and came back a few seconds later with Lindsey in tow.

"Mom!" She sat the bags of food down on the coffee table and wrapped her mom in a hug.  
"Hey Linds."

"Are you okay, god what happened?" She reached up to touch the bandage on Dani's head but then turned on Nico instead.

"I thought you said she was okay."  
"Hey, Lindsey, it's alright. I am, I am fine. It's just a cut it's no big deal." Dani took her daughters hands and squeezed them.

"You're sure?" Dani nodded.

"Positive, how are you?"  
"Fine, except for the storm of paparazzi outside the door. Thanks for helping me with that by the way." She turned to Nico.

"No problem."

"Look, we can talk about all this later; right now I am starving, what's for dinner?" Dani said with a smile.

Lindsey brought Chinese, enough for all three of them. They ate and Lindsey and Dani talked like normal. Nico sat and watched in silence, admiring their relationship. When they finished he offered to clean up and give them some time to talk.

"Isn't he the scary guy from the Hawks?" Lindsey asked.

"Nico, and he's not scary, he's, protective, watchful." Dani sighed, "Yeah he can be a little scary sometimes I guess." Lindsey smiled.

"Mom do you have a crush?"  
"What, come on Linds you know me, I don't crush." Lindsey laughed.

"Wow, you totally do. Good for you mom, go for it." Dani rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, Nico thinks it'd be better if you stayed at a friend's house until this blows over, so you don't have to deal with the press every day." Lindsey nodded.

"That's fine. Mom does Ray Jay know?" Dani was shocked that she hadn't even thought about calling Ray Jay.

"I haven't told him, I don't know if,"  
"Nico probably took care of it, he called me anyway, I am sure it's fine." Dani nodded.

"Yeah, listen sweetie you call me if you need anything alright. Hopefully this'll only last a few days and we can get back to normal okay?"  
"Okay." Dani gave her a hug and a kiss.

"I am gonna go pack some things okay." Dani nodded and watched her head upstairs. She sighed, her migraine was back. She pressed the heels of her hands into eyes, trying to push back tears. She had to send her daughter away; she couldn't even stay at her own house. Dani let out a shaky breath and then pulled herself together; she wouldn't break down, not now. Eventually Lindsey came back downstairs, trailing a suitcase behind her; Dani had to force back the tears again.

"I mean it Lindsey, you need anything you call. I am here for you okay, I love you." She wrapped her in another tight hug.

"I love you too mom."

Nico appeared from the kitchen and stepped into the front hall.

"Ready to go?" Lindsey nodded.

"Look after my mom okay?" Nico nodded.

"I will, I promise."

Lindsey grabbed her suitcase and followed Nico out the door.

"Bye baby." Dani called after them, Lindsey waved to her as Nico helped her to her car then she closed the door, started the engine and took off. Nico walked back up to the house, the few paparazzi left weren't interested in him, they were shouting questions at Dani but she couldn't hear them. She felt like she was under water, everything was mumbles. Nico walked up to her, put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, they walked inside and he shut and locked the door behind them.

She went up to her room after that. She didn't have the energy to bother with conversation. She changed into pajamas, crawled in bed and wrapped herself in the covers. She felt numb, she was tired, she didn't even look up at Nico when he walked in the room. She heard him say something about Lindsey getting to her friend's house safe and that he'd make sure someone was watching her until everything blew over.

"Thanks." She said quietly.  
"Dani, do you want to talk?" He knelt down beside the bed trying to get at eye level with her.

"I just want to sleep." She blinked and a few stray tears fell. He reached up and brushed them away; she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"I really need you to stay with me right now Nico." She said quietly. He nodded and kissed her forehead then stood and turned out the lights and lay down beside her. He wrapped her in his arms and held her close.

"I am gonna have to pack a bag if you want me to stay here every night." There was humor in his voice but she was to sad to laugh.

"I am sorry."  
"No, Dani that's not what I meant." He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him.

"I just meant that I'd need a change of clothes. I already told you, I am here for you as long as you need me." Another few tears dropped, he brushed them away and rested his forehead against her own.

"It's okay to cry Dani." She nodded and let him kiss her. She needed his strength right now more than anything but this was comforting, this was safe. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back.


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's been way to long, I am so very sorry. We've been losing a lot of people at work and we're now extreamly understaffed so I am picking up a ton of hours. While that's nice for my paycheck it dosen't leave me with a lot of free time to write so this took longer than expected. Plus a pretty nasty case of writers block kicked in which is no fun :( Again I can't say when I'll be able to get another chapter out so I am hoping this extra long one can hold you all over. The end of this chapter totally got away from me but it was late and I'd watched the end of the season finale again so I was on a bit of a Danico high so you'll have to excuse me for the ending, I fear it's a bit out of character but I decided to keep it because it made me laugh. Now enough of me talking, Enjoy, review, Love you!**

* * *

It was still dark the next time Dani woke up. She had that horrible dream again and when her eyes shot open it was almost pitch black in her room. Nico was still holding her close; she listened to the words of comfort he whispered in her ear. He ran his hands gently through her hair, kissed her forehead and told her to breath. She did and eventually she fell back asleep. When she woke again it was morning and the bed was empty. She could hear Nico in the hallway, talking to someone on his cell phone she assumed. Whatever they were talking about he didn't sound particularly happy about it. She rolled onto her side and caught his smell, still lingering on her pillow; she closed her eyes and breathed deep. What was it about him that made her feel so safe? She shook her head, not wanting to believe she'd just done that, she was getting to clingy, this was ridiculous, she wasn't a school girl anymore, she was a grown woman. The problem was, anytime he was around she suddenly turned into a teenager with a crush.

"Get a grip Santino." She whispered to herself.

She crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She pulled the bandage off her face and looked at the cut. It was much smaller than before, she'd be able to use a smaller bandage today, and the large bruise that had surrounded it had faded to a black and blue mark.  
She turned the shower on to hot and stepped under the spray, she needed to think.

She was trying to deal with to many things at once, the fallout from this thing with Troy, her feelings for Nico, keeping her family safe, and all in all keeping herself safe. She needed to take a second to work through some things.

Being a therapist, she knew she wasn't handling her feelings about what happened with Troy well. She was keeping everything inside, they were manifesting as dreams, and she needed to talk. The problem was she didn't want to talk, she'd always been known as tough, and strong and able to hold her own, now she was breaking down and trying desperately not to show it. She should know better, and she did, she just wasn't interested in changing it, at least not yet. When the time was right she'd talk about it.

She decided to skip over her feelings for Nico for a second; that was a pretty lengthy subject.

Her family was being kept safe at the moment. She knew someone was watching out for Lindsey, and Ray Jay. Her ex husband was probably clueless but that was nothing new.

At the moment she wasn't doing too good a job of keeping herself safe, at least not mentally but physically Nico was here to keep her safe. Which lead perfectly into her feelings for him.

Was she romanticizing all of this? She'd seen so many people, patients that she'd treated who'd fallen hopelessly in love with doctors who were treating them, other therapists, security workers, bodyguards. It was common fact, at least for her anyway, that you immediately feel a sense of closeness with someone who is protecting you, or helping you. So was she having such strong feelings for Nico simply because he'd come to her rescue and was watching over her? Or, as that little voice in her subconscious liked to point out, did she have these feelings all along and they were just suddenly coming to light?

She sighed and closed her eyes, which she shouldn't have done because it just brought up images of Nico and her shower; she shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

She dried her hair and dressed and left the bathroom all before Nico got off the phone. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, trying to decide what to make of the thoughts running around in her head when he finally walked back into the room.

"Good morning." He said, taking a seat next to her.

She smiled and offered him a quiet "Morning."  
"Did you sleep okay last night, well, after you went back to bed?"  
She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, I don't feel like I slept that well but I am alright."

"Who was on the phone?" She asked.

"Connor, just giving me some updates, we can talk about it later." He explained.

"You can use the shower if you want, I don't really have any clothes you can wear but," She remembered what he'd said last night and realized that he had put off any care for himself, he was still wearing the same suit he'd worn when he pulled her out of that house.

"That's okay, Xeno brought me some things this morning, but I will take you up on the use of your shower."

She smiled and he leaned in to kiss her gently.

"I'll go make us some coffee." She said, her forehead resting against his own. She really wanted nothing more than to just fall back into bed and have him wrap her up but she knew they had more important things to do. She kissed him again though, for good measure, then got up and headed down to the kitchen.

She made them each coffee, eggs and bacon for breakfast. It wasn't quite as impressive as what he'd made for her yesterday but she wanted to return the favor. When he finally came into the kitchen she had to stop herself from drooling a bit. He'd changed into a pair of jeans and a gray button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hair was still just a little bit damp, he brushed a piece back when it fell out of place. She decided it was best to put the whole island between them, just in case. The voice in her head suddenly sounded a lot younger with all the stuff it was shouting for her to do, she told it to shut up and instead offered him a warm smile and passed him a cup of coffee and a plate.

"Better?" She asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Much, thanks." He said with a smile, taking a sip of the coffee.

They chatted aimlessly through breakfast. Nico informed her that both Lindsey and Ray Jay were doing well. The people he had keeping an eye on them had checked in early this morning to let him know everything was okay. She thanked him for that, it was more important to her that her kids were safe, she could take care of herself, well mostly, but she wanted the kids safe.  
When they finished breakfast he helped her clean up, which she greatly appreciated, and she poured them each another cup of coffee.

"So you said Connor was on the phone?" She asked, sitting back down at the island.

"Yeah, he just wanted to check in." He leaned back against the counter opposite her.

"Well you didn't sound to happy about it." She said bluntly. Nico sighed and was quiet for a few minutes.

"Everything that happened with Carl, he never said anything to you about Troy being involved in something did he?" Nico asked. Dani gave him a look, her eyebrow raised.

"I know, I know, doctor patient confidentiality. This is really important Dani." He said, hoping she'd give him something.

"Why do you need to know?" She asked. He was quiet again; when he finally spoke up she had the distinct feeling that he wasn't telling her everything.

"The FBI is trying to make a case against Troy. The police have him for what he did to you but the FBI thinks there's something bigger going on at V3. However, they can't do much of anything without some kind of evidence, which right now they don't have." He explained.

"And you know all this how?" She asked.

"Connor just told me." He answered quickly, a little to quickly for her tastes but she continued on.

"And the FBI thinks Carl was involved in this?" She asked.

"They think he might have evidence that Troy was, that's why I have to ask." She sighed and thought for a few seconds then stood and walked into her office. Nico followed her and waited by the door as she opened one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out a small flash drive.

"Carl sent this to me before he," She paused and cleared her throat, "Before he died. His note said he wanted me to have it. I tried to look at it but I couldn't make out any of what was on here." She knew she wasn't over Carl's death yet, she'd never lost a patient before, it still hit her pretty hard.  
"I can look it over." Nico said, holding his hand out to her.

Dani closed her eyes and held the flash drive close.

"It's just that, Carl trusted me with this." She said quietly.

"I understand Dani; I promise I'll take care of it." She opened her eyes and looked into his, he was being sincere she could tell, so she placed the flash drive in his hand.

"I want to know what's on it." She said, he nodded.

"That's fine." He tucked the flash drive in his pocket and offered her a smile.

"I have some things to take care of today; do you think you'll be alright here for a while?" He asked, stepping in closer to her.

"Yeah I'll be okay." She assured him.

"Xeno's parked outside, if you need anyone." He took her hands in his and held them tight.

"Thank you." He leaned down to kiss her gently and she held him close, he was her lifeline right now, he was keeping her grounded.

"Call if you need to, I'll be back later." She nodded and let him slip his hands from her's as he left.

She sighed and sat down in her chair, trying to think of something to do today that would keep her mind off things.

She ended up calling both Lindsey and Ray Jay. Nico had said they were fine but she just needed to hear their voices. After a good hour of chatting with the kids she called Paloma to check in. Dani wanted to make sure none of her patients were in dire need of assistance; Paloma assured her that everything was fine and that she was holding down the fort just as Dani had asked.

As opposed to having an assistant as Dani was in the beginning, she had to admit she was extremely grateful for Paloma. The girl knew what she was doing, she could control things in ways Dani never could, and she always seemed to know just what to do. Dani thanked Paloma many times over and told her if anyone called for her to take a message and then let her know. Dani wasn't sure she could deal with anyone else's issues right now, she was barely handling her own, but if a patient needed her, she'd do her best.

Once she got off the phone with Paloma she realized she didn't have anything to do, which was odd for her. She wandered into the living room and peaked out the window. One or two reporters with cameras still waited outside her house, she rolled her eyes, she couldn't be that important. She caught a glimpse of Xeno parked across the street and she waved at him. He smiled back and gave her a polite wave. She didn't think she could stand being in the house alone all day so she motioned for him to come in. he hesitated for a few seconds but eventually made his way across the front yard and Dani let him in. The second she opened the door camera flashes started going off in her face, and the few people that had stuck it out over night started shouting questions at her. Xeno moved inside as quickly as he could and shut and locked the door behind him. Dani sighed but smiled up at him.

"Coffee?" She asked.

"Sounds great." He said with a smile.

"So how are you holding up?" He asked after they'd finished off their drinks.

Dani sighed, "I am doing okay I suppose, just taking it a day at a time." She said.

"I am sure the paparazzi outside aren't any help." Xeno said, glancing back to the door.

"No, they aren't but, I am trying not to let it get to me." She said with a shrug.

"I am sure they'll be gone by tonight, they get bored pretty easily." He informed her.

"So Nico put you on watch guard duty hu?" Dani said with a smile.

"He has some things to take care of." Xeno told her.

"So he said, super top secret stuff?" Dani asked.

Xeno shrugged, "He didn't say, just said, stuff."  
Dani let out a laugh and shook her head.

"That's just like him, ever evasive." She said.

"He's just looking out for you." Xeno said.

"I know, I just wish he'd be a bit more forthcoming, especially if it has to do with this whole V3 mess. I just hate being kept in the dark." Dani said with a sigh.

"Anyway, I am sure you don't wanna hear me whine about your boss all day. I've got some things to do but make yourself at home. No need to sit out in that cramped car when you can sit in here." She smiled and collected their glasses.

"Thanks Dr. Santino." Xeno said.

"It's Dani, and it's not a problem." She offered another smile and then moved off into the house to try and find something to keep her occupied.

She ended up spending most of the day cleaning; she found her phone in the process which was a plus. She must have laid it down in the closet when she'd come home and changed that night and then never bothered to pick it up before she went to bed.

She cleaned her bathroom until it sparkled then gave the same treatment to her bedroom.

Around mid day she went downstairs and made lunch for herself and Xeno then she made her way back upstairs and decided to re arrange her dresser. She zoned out for a while, moving clothes around, re folding things, the next time she looked up it was dark out and the house was silent. She tried to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand, she still had quite a few piles of clothes sitting around her, but eventually thoughts of Carl and Troy and her job crept back in and she couldn't concentrate. It was to quiet, every time she tried to focus on what she was doing her thoughts drifted elsewhere. An hour later and she hadn't made any progress and she'd gained a headache to boot. With a groan of frustration she stood up and kicked over all the piles of clothes she'd made. She was angry, she needed an outlet, and she couldn't hurt anything this way so she started picking up pieces of clothing and tossing them. It felt good; it felt like relief, to be able to take her anger and frustration out on something.

She hated the fact that she felt this way, she wanted to be strong and overcome all these feelings of helplessness but she just couldn't. She was still upset at what happened to Carl, she constantly felt like she should have been able to do something; she'd been waking up with that weight on her chest for the past month. Then everything that happened with Troy, she was confused at why he'd done it, angry because she didn't do a damn thing to stop him and scared because she was worried for her safety, her kid's safety, Nico's safety.

And there was the kicker, she was worried about Nico. A man who she knew full well was more than capable of taking care of himself but she worried about him. She was worried because he wasn't telling her anything, he was keeping something from her she knew it, and that worried her because what if it got him into trouble? She wouldn't know what was going on to be able to help him. She was worried for him because she had feelings for him, that admission scared her the most. Where was she supposed to put that thought?

Eventually she'd scattered half her wardrobe across her bedroom and was seated against her bed, her legs drawn up and her head in her hands, trying her hardest to ignore the tears that wouldn't stop falling.

And that was how Nico found her a few minutes later. Xeno had let him inside; given him a full update on how the day had been and then told him Dani was up in her room. He climbed the stairs, fully expecting to find her asleep; instead she was sitting in the middle of chaos, trying not to cry. He was at her side in an instant.

"Dani, what happened?" He asked. He knelt down next to her and tried to take her hand in his but she pulled away. Her eyes were rimmed red when she looked up at him but her gaze was sharp.

"You're gonna tell me, exactly, what you're doing, right now, or you're going to leave. No more secrets, I am done." Her voice was course, she'd been crying for a while, her words cut deep though.

"Dani, I, "  
"No, no evasions, no confidential crap, I am done not knowing what you're up to, tell me now, or I am serious, you're out." She held his gaze and didn't look away.

"It's a long story." He said quietly.

"Then start from the beginning, you've got all night." She snapped.

"Fine, but you have to hear me out, just listen okay?"

Her eyes cleared a bit and she nodded.

"It was the night I was supposed to leave for Dallas."  
She watched him intently as he explained everything. About the FBI taking him in for the wiretapping he'd done with Marshall, how they'd made a deal with him, if he helped them with V3, he'd be cleared and could leave for Dallas. How he was still working with them, trying to figure out what was really going on inside V3.

"No one knows, well except for you now but no one else, not Troy, not Connor, no one and it has to stay that way." He explained.

"But, what are you looking for?" She asked

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the flash drive she'd given him earlier.

"Where's your computer?"

She led him downstairs and grabbed her laptop. She set it down on the coffee table and sat back on the sofa. He joined her and plugged the flash drive in. documents popped up that she didn't understand.

"These are V3's financial reports." He explained.

"This tracks where all the money goes; these are all the charities that Carl gave V3 money to, all of them except for this one." He pulled up a separate page.

"This is a hospital in the Caymans. A hospital that, as I found out today, doesn't actually exist." He said.

"So what does that mean?" Dani asked.

"It means V3 is laundering money somewhere." He told her.

"Does Troy know?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I am betting he does. I am also betting that kidnapping you was an act, probably to throw the FBI off his trail. He took you because he claimed he wanted to find out information about this." Nico said pointing to the computer.  
"My guess is he knows all about this and is just trying not to get caught."

Dani shook her head and sighed.

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?"

"It's a lot to take in I know, but we're going to figure it out." Nico assured her.

"We, meaning you and the FBI?" Dani asked. Nico nodded and closed the laptop.

"That was the deal Dani; I have to see it through." He told her.

"What about Connor?" She asked, "I mean, is he controlling all this, does he even know?"

"I don't know, honestly, he might be the mastermind behind the whole thing, or he might not have a clue. There's still a lot of moving parts that we don't know about yet, but this information get's the ball rolling and that's a start." He said.

"Alright, just, keep me informed, if something's going down I don't wanna be in the dark about it, let me know what's going on." She asked.

"I will if you will." He pulled the flash drive out of the computer and handed it back to her. She took it and nodded.

"Deal." She said, he nodded in agreement.

"Your front lawn is once again empty by the way." He said, glancing behind him at the window.

"Thank god." Dani said with relief, "I was expecting a few of um to just pitch a tent." She closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples, her head was pounding.

"I don't think they're that invested." Nico said as he reached up and pushed her hands out of the way, taking over rubbing her temples himself. She sighed in contentment and leaned into his touch.

"You're stressing yourself out." He said quietly.

"I can't help it." She told him.

"You can, if you'd just talk to me." She let out a laugh at that,

"You're one to talk." She said, "Mr. secretive himself."

He stilled his hands for a second and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Not about something like this Dani. I know you're struggling with everything that's been happening, with Carl, with Troy. I think the state of your bedroom right now is pretty good evidence that you need to talk, you need to vent, I told you I am here for you." He said, his eyes never leaving hers. She was quiet for a few minutes before she answered.

"It's just really hard." She said finally.

"It doesn't have to be, I am here for you." He reached down and took her hands in his, "You just have to talk, we can get through this."  
She sighed and nodded.

"I am just not ready yet." She admitted. He nodded and tipped her chin up to look him in the eye.

"Whenever you are, I am here." She nodded and he leaned in to kiss her.

"We should probably work on cleaning up your room before you go to bed." Nico said as he pulled away. She laughed and nodded.

"Yeah I guess so."  
They walked upstairs together and Nico helped her pick up all the clothes she'd tossed. She was to tired to worry about putting them all back tonight so she laid them on the chair in the corner, she'd worry about them tomorrow.

Now she was faced with the awkward situation of figuring out whether she should ask Nico to stay again. The past two nights she'd been in total shock and just needed someone to hold on to. Tonight she wasn't that bad, she could probably manage on her own, the thing was, she didn't really want to. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she finished piling up her clothes. He was digging around behind a nightstand, presumably to grab another article of clothing she'd missed, she smiled to herself. It wasn't something she was used to seeing him do. Normally she was watching him sneak around in the middle of the night, or be quiet and broody at the office, but here he was in her bedroom in jeans and a leather jacket helping her clean up after a temper tantrum. She couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh.

"What?" He asked, glancing back over at her. She smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing."

He gave her a suspicious look but turned his gaze away and reached behind the nightstand again. She looked away, but then glanced back at him when he let out some sound between a laugh and a cough.

"Not sure if this was involved in the clothing war or something else." She was on her feet in an instant and snatched the black lacy bra from his hands.

"God," She mumbled to herself as she walked away, pulling a drawer open and stuffing the thing away.

"Sorry." She said, Nico smiled at her, she was blushing.

"It's not like I've never seen one before." He said matter of factly.

"Fine but you've never seen mine." It was another one of those moments where she instantly regretted the words seconds after saying them. Their eyes locked and Dani couldn't tell if the room was more full of awkward or sexual tension, when his gaze flickered down to her chest for the smallest of seconds she knew full well it was sexual tension, now she just had to figure out a way to defuse it safely.

They were both quiet for so long, she just didn't know what to say, eventually she just opened her mouth in the hopes that something decent sounding would come out.

"Sorry again, I didn't, mean anything by it I just," She was rambling and she could feel her cheeks warming with a blush. She knew she should probably stop talking but she just couldn't. Nico gave her a small smile, crossed the room in quick strides and pressed his lips against hers. She sighed, thankful that he'd made her stop rambling, and fit herself into his embrace. She let her arms wrap around his neck and her fingers slid into his hair. He pulled back to breath but by then she'd gotten an ounce of courage and she pressed her lips to his, eager for more. She sighed against his mouth, it was such a juvenile thought but she couldn't help it when it popped into her head, he was without a doubt the best kisser, hands down. Not that she'd kissed too many men but Nico took first prize. He worked magic with his lips and she couldn't get enough of it.

"You can stay tonight." She whispered finally when they broke apart again. His gaze found hers and he searched it for meaning.

"Not, not like that, not now, I just really want you to stay." He understood what she meant. As much as he wanted to stay for other reasons she was still too vulnerable right now and he didn't want to push her into anything. If she wanted to kiss him then so be it but he knew better than to take things any further right now, she didn't need any more complicated feelings running through her mind. He leaned in close and simply rested his lips against hers.

"I'd love to stay." He said quietly, she smiled and kissed him again.

They did just sleep. When Dani finally lay down with him he pulled her close and let her rest her head on his chest. She took his hand in hers and laced their fingers together.

"You're keeping me grounded right now." She whispered.

"Everything I am dealing with, I can't seem to put any of it to rest in my head. It just keeps coming at me. And I know I should talk, and I want to talk, I just can't bring myself to do it yet. But being here with you, that makes me feel okay. I feel stronger and safer." She looked up at him and he brushed a few stray pieces of hair from her eyes.  
"You're my lifeline right now. It kills me to admit that because I've never needed anyone but myself but, I need you Nico." Her voice shook and he knew she was close to tears. Dani was a strong woman, for her to admit that she was broken and needed help, there was still a lot to deal with but it was a step in the right direction.  
He leaned down to kiss her again, sweetly and slowly this time.

"You have me Dani, whatever you need, I promise." The look in his eyes was unguarded and Dani knew that in that moment she was seeing him without his walls, without all the protection he constantly put up and hid behind. She was getting to see behind it all, there were a lot of broken emotions in his gaze, things she didn't understand yet but she did see promise and protection and caring, and she knew it was all aimed at her and right now, that was the best feeling in the world.


	5. Chapter 5

**This took way longer to get up than I had intended it to. Hopefully the extra length of it makes up for the wait. I'll stop talking now, enjoy!**

* * *

Dani didn't dream that night, or she couldn't remember if she did. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It was the sun that eventually woke her up, she groaned in protest and rolled over, she was to tired to face the day yet. It wasn't until she felt a kiss on her forehead that she remembered she hadn't slept alone last night. She opened her eyes and glanced up and Nico.

"Good morning." His voice was deeper and a bit raspy from sleep, it made her smile.

"Morning." He ran a hand through her hair and smiled back.

"Sleep okay?" He asked.  
She shrugged, "I guess, I don't remember dreaming anything so I suppose that's a plus." She said. He nodded,

"It's a start." He wrapped a hand around her waist and tucked her in close.

"So no urgent phone calls this morning?" She asked, her hand reaching for his again.  
"No, all quiet right now." He laced their fingers together and kissed the top of her head.

"I suppose we should get up." She said quietly, "you're making breakfast this morning by the way." She added.

"Oh, really?" He said with a laugh.

"Well if you're gonna be sticking around you gotta start pulling you're weight, and you're a far better cook than I am. Plus I made breakfast yesterday so it's your turn." She said with a shrug.

"Whatever you say."

She smiled at a victory won and laid her head on his chest. They were quiet for a while; Nico watched her, taking in everything. The way her eyes were still bleary and hooded from sleep, how her cheeks were pinked with the slightest blush. He ran a hand through her hair which shone in the sun coming through the windows. He'd always loved her hair, she'd changed it a lot, last year it was short, straight and dark, now it was longer and curlier and light brown with highlights. He liked it best the way it was when he first met her, caramel brown, he loved that color.

"You're beautiful." The words escaped him before he had a chance to filter it, he'd said it quietly though so he wasn't even sure she'd heard him but when she glanced up at him, her eyes wide, he knew she had. He didn't want to take it back though, it was true. He cupped her cheek in his hand and his heart warmed when she closed her eyes and leaned into him.

"You're making it really difficult to want to get out of bed." She told him as she opened her eyes. He smiled at that.

"Who says we have to?" His voice was deeper now, but a look in his eyes told her it was for other reasons.

"You know as well as I do, that's not a good idea right now." She wasn't sure he was listening to her, he'd suddenly found interest in the curls of her hair.  
"I don't want to be thinking about a million other things, there's to much going on right now." He was glad she was smart enough to talk him out of it because as far as he was concerned right now all he wanted to do was stay here with her, forget the rest of the world and their responsibilities; he just wanted to touch her, to be close to her.

"You're right." He said quietly, he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers.

"There will be a later, I promise." She looked him in the eye and they had one of those strange wordless conversations that sometimes happened between them. He told her he didn't think he could wait, she said she didn't think she could either but that they had to, if they were really going to make this work. When his lips met hers this time it was different. Their kisses had been heated and romantic before but this was something else. This was promise and passion and it took her breath away. Suddenly she was starting to re think this whole waiting thing but she knew she was right. She had to many things swimming around in her mind right now and while it would be nice to escape for a morning with Nico she didn't want their first time together to be something to occupy them. She wanted it to be a long night that stretched into the dawn and she knew somewhere deep down he felt that way to. Somehow they just both had to be adults about it and show some restraint. She was trying, but then his lips started trailing down her neck and she couldn't help but to close her eyes and sigh in contentment. Then a new question popped into her head. Why in the world was she ever scared to be in a relationship with this man? This felt like the most natural thing in the world, all of it, waking up together, sharing a bed, especially the feel of his lips pressed against hers. She really had been an idiot to put this off for as long as she had.

"Nico." He was taking her dangerously close to a line they both just agreed they weren't going to cross, if they were going to honor that promise he needed to stop. She hated doing it but she brought his lips back to hers and away from the skin on her shoulder that he'd been working so hard to expose while she'd been pre occupied with her thoughts.

"We can't do this okay; there will be a later I promise. You think I am just gonna let you kiss me like that and then forget about it?" He didn't answer, just kissed her again. This time he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She wanted so badly to just stay here a little while longer so she let herself indulge for a few more minutes. She shut out everything but the feel of his hands, and his lips against hers. She buried a hand in his hair and pulled him closer, and then his phone rang. She was pretty sure he growled in frustration. She sighed and rested her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath. Honestly she was grateful for the interruption, she wasn't sure she could have gotten him to stop, mostly because she really didn't want him to.

He reached over to the table on his side of the bed and picked up his phone.

"Hello." He sounded agitated, Dani felt sorry for whoever was on the other end.

"Terrance it's not even eight o'clock in the morning what do you need?" Dani's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, why was TK calling Nico.

"Well did you try calling Dr. Santino?" He looked over at her and rolled his eyes, she smiled.

"No I don't know what she's doing, why do you need her?" Dani sighed and held her hand out for the phone. Nico gave her a questioning look, TK wasn't stupid, if Dani suddenly took over a call placed to Nico's phone he was going to ask questions. She shrugged at him and motioned for him to hand over the phone. He handed it to her and she pressed speaker.

"What's wrong Terrance?" She said, there was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

"Dr. D? What kind of inception is this, are you with Sneako?" Nico rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Nico's here with me, what do you need?"  
"He's there with you at seven thirty in the morning? What are you talking about that early?"  
"You." She answered easily.

"Seriously?"  
"No, now what do you need?" Nico laughed and kissed her on the cheek then stood and made his way to the bathroom to give her some privacy with TK.

"I needed to talk to you."  
"Yeah I got that, why didn't you just call me?" She asked.

"I did, you weren't picking up."  
Dani turned and grabbed her phone off her bedside table and tried to turn it on but it was dead.

"Sorry Terrance, my phone died, I didn't realize."  
"Yeah sure, I can't get a hold of you but Nico answers his phone and you just happen to be with him, at seven thirty in the morning?"

Dani rolled her eyes.

"Some people are up that early Terrance."  
He changed the subject.

"Look I wanted to talk to you. It's about my injury."  
"I heard about it, are you doing okay?" She asked.

"Yeah I am, I am fine it's just. Connor took me to the clinic at V3 and they said they can have me up and running in a few weeks but, I don't know, the stuff they wanna use, some brand new stuff, fitted especially to my DNA, It just all sounds a little to good to be true ya know?" He explained.

"Well did you ask them questions about it?" Dani lay back against the pillows and turned the speaker phone off.

"I did but, I didn't really get a straight answer out of anybody."  
"Terrance if you think something's not right then don't go through with the treatment." Dani told him. "This makes or breaks weather I can be in the playoffs Doc."  
"I understand that but if you're options are, be in a playoff game but then end you're career because of something fishy going on at V3, or, miss the playoff game but still be able to play when you're fully healed, I know which answer I'd pick." She said.  
"Yeah I guess you're right."  
"But Terrance if you think something's going on at V3, maybe you should talk to Nico about it." Dani was curious about the clinic, and if TK didn't even trust the doctors there, something strange must be going on.

"Can you put him back on the phone?" He asked.

"Not right now, just talk to him sometime okay?"  
"We'll talk about a few things." Terrance said.

"And that's supposed to mean?"  
"Just that, I am watchin out for ya. You mean a lot to me Dr. D, I just don't wanna see you get hurt." Dani was a bit taken aback by that admission.

"Thank you Terrance but I am pretty sure I can handle it."  
"So you are together then! I am taking that as a yes, you can't tell me otherwise." Dani rolled her eyes.

"If that's all TK?"

"You think I could come over today and we could talk? I know you can't have private clients anymore but, it's been awhile since we talked, I kinda miss it."  
Dani smiled, TK meant a lot to her too, and she had been missing his antics the past few months.

"Sure, be here around noon?"  
"Noon it is, tell Sneako I said goodbye, I'll see ya later Doc."  
"Bye Terrance."

She hung up the phone and placed it back on the bedside table then laid back and closed her eyes.

Nico came back in the room a few minutes later, he sat down next to her on the bed and she smiled up at him.

"So what did he need?" Nico asked.

"Something about the clinic at V3, it'll be easier if he tells you, he'll be over around noon." Dani explained.

"So then I guess I'll be here for lunch."  
"Which should be interesting." She said with a laugh.

"Did he figure it out?" He asked.

"I don't know, he thinks he figured something out, I didn't give him a definitive answer." He nodded.  
"Can I ask you though?" She sat up and took his hands in hers again. "You and I, are we making this an Us, officially?" she felt so stupid for asking but, she just wanted to know where they stood.

"If earlier wasn't enough of an answer, yes, there's an Us, so long as you're okay with it."

She smiled at him, "Yeah, I'd like that."  
"Good," He leaned in and kissed her again. "I'll go down and get started on breakfast then." She smiled against his lips and ran a hand through his damp hair.

"I'll be down." He gave her another quick kiss and then headed downstairs.

When she finally joined him in the kitchen he was still finishing up breakfast. She took a seat at the island and watched him work. She'd never been with a man who could cook. Ray could barely manage to call in take out, let alone make anything on his own, and her time with Matt had been fleeting and full of drama, they'd never had time to sit down and eat a meal together. She watched him carefully and realized she could get used to watching him cook, he was amazing at it.

When he finished and they sat down to eat she couldn't help but ask.

"So where did you learn to cook?" The food was, once again, amazing.

"Culinary school in France."  
Her eyes widened at this admission.

"You're kidding." She brushed it off as a joke but he shook his head.

"No, I am serious."

"Wow, really, in France?"  
He nodded.

"Do you speak French?" She asked.

"I do."  
"Jeez, I can barely speak broken Italian."

He laughed at that

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't know about you then?" She questioned.

"You'll learn, I promise. No more secretes remember?" He was being serious which made her happy.

"Right."

They finished their breakfast in comfortable silence and Nico helped her clean up afterward.

"I'll be back around noon." He said, grabbing his jacket and cell phone and preparing to leave.

"I'll let you talk to Terrance first, get that out of the way." She told him.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled and pulled her close.

"I'll miss you." She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll miss you too." He kissed her sweetly.

"I'll see you in a few hours." She nodded and watched him leave, then waved at Xeno who was, once again, parked across the street watching.

She spent most of the morning cleaning up. Since she'd made such a mess in her room yesterday she started there. She put away the clothes that were now piled on a chair in the corner, and made sure everything was back to normal. By the time she was done it was around ten. She put in another call to Paloma just to check the status of things. Paloma told her that everyone was doing fine, there was a bit of a hiccup with Hutch earlier this morning but she said that Connor had taken care of it and that Dani shouldn't worry. After she got off the phone with Paloma she called Lindsey and checked in. Everything seemed to be going well, Dani's concern was starting to fade a bit, things were holding together without her; maybe she would be able to take some time and get back to normal.

Eventually eleven thirty rolled around and she headed downstairs to make something to eat. She lost track of time and soon heard a knock on the door.

"It's open." She called. There was a few seconds of silence before a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and Nico kissed her cheek.

"You probably shouldn't be leaving the door unlocked." He whispered in her ear.

"Xeno is right across the street, I am not gonna change the way I live because I am afraid of something Troy Cutler might do." She said it with such conviction, he smiled and nodded.

"Seems fair, where did all this come from?"  
"I called Paloma and Lindsey this morning. Everything's fine, everyone's doing fine, they don't really need me all the time. I guess I just realized that I don't always need to be in the middle of everything, I can take some time and pull myself back together." She explained.

Nico smiled and hugged her.

"I am glad you realized that Dani." He said quietly.

"I also wanted to say that I am ready to talk about it, not now obviously but whenever we get a quiet moment."  
"We'll find a time." He kissed her and smiled at her, happy that she'd finally come to terms with things.

"Oh, and I made lunch, I didn't know if you'd eaten or not." She glanced over to the sandwiches she'd sat on the island.

"Thanks." He kissed her on the cheek. When the knocking started at the door again Dani knew it was TK this time.

"Come on in Terrance." She called. Eventually he appeared in the kitchen. He wrapped Dani in a big hug.

"It's good to see ya Doc, how ya doin?" He asked.

"I am fine Terrance, thank you." She smiled and hugged him back.

"Sneako, whats goin on?" Tk took a seat between Dani and Nico.

"You tell me, apparently there's something we need to discuss?" Nico asked.

"There is, first things first though, is this food for everyone?" He asked, eyeing up the platter of sandwiches.

"Yes, Terrance go ahead." Dani said with an amused sigh.

"Nice, thanks Dr. D." He took two for himself and took a bite then smiled.

"So, would you like to explain why you needed to talk to me?" Nico asked, his usual dark and mysterious manner quickly fell back into place. TK swallowed and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright so, Readers Digest version here. I got injured pretty bad a few weeks ago. The Bobcat clinic said it would take a few months to get me back up to par, when I told Connor about it he insisted I get a second opinion at the V3 clinic. So I went in, did all the tests whatever and the doctor says that this new drug they wanna use can get me back in shape in like a week." He explained.

"And for those of us who don't understand the finer points of sports injuries, that's bad because?" Dani questioned.

"Because what the Bobcat clinic said is right, my injury should take a few months to heal. But the Doc at V3 is claiming this drug is like a super potion or something. It works directly with my DNA or whatever to make me better faster."  
Nico gave him a blank stare.

"Look It just seems to good to be true ya know? I don't wanna kill the rest of my career over some doping scandal." TK said.

"Did you ask them if the drug is illegal?" Nico questioned.

"Not in so many words but I questioned it yeah, Doc said there was nothing to worry about but I don't know, something just seems fishy."

Nico was silent for a few seconds.

"You wanna help me figure out what's going on?" He asked TK.

"Yeah sure, what can I do?"  
"Keep going to the clinic, when they're ready to give you the drug don't take it, sneak out a few vials to me, I'll get some people to run some tests." He said.

"That doesn't exactly sound safe." Dani interjected, "Or particularly legal." She added.

"It's the only way to find out what's going on. I can't just walk in and ask for samples, if it is an illegal drug we'd have a hell of a fight on our hands. We do it this way or not at all." Nico said.

"I am up for it. If it saves my career, I'll do whatever it takes." TK said.

"Alright, just keep me informed, let me know when they're planning on giving you you're first dose, I'll stay close by, I don't want you walking around with that stuff in your pockets any longer than you have to."

"You got it." TK said, giving Nico a mock salute.

"I'll head back to V3, see what I can dig up on the clinic, there might be more going on there than we're aware of." Nico said.

Dani nodded and they both looked at Terrance expectantly.

"Terrance did you want to wait for me in my office?" Dani asked finally. TK looked between the two of them and eventually realized what they were waiting for.

"OH, yeah, yeah, sure, I'll just be in here, with the door closed, ya'll just go about your business, no rush." He made his way to the office and shut the door behind him.

"That's probably going to be a problem." Nico said.

"He'll be fine, I trust him." Dani assured him.

"Just so long as he doesn't go running his mouth."

Dani nodded. "I'll talk to him."

Nico stepped in close and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"There are windows on the office door, you know that right?" She asked quietly. Nico smiled and shrugged.

"If he knows what's good for him he'll keep whatever he sees to himself." Dani laughed and Nico leaned in to kiss her. It was one of those kisses that just made her block out everything else, she focused fully on how he made her feel. So much so that she didn't hear the cheers coming from her office until Nico pulled away.

"Hell yeah Dr. D!" Dani's face burst into a blush and she turned to glare at TK who had pulled the curtains back on the windows in the door and was beaming at them.

"Oh, I knew it, I so knew it, Sneako you little pimp!"  
"Terrance!" Nico shouted. The curtains snapped closed and the office was silent. Dani let out a slight laugh.

"I promise I'll talk to him." She said. Nico nodded and kissed her again, quickly this time.

"I'll see you later tonight." He said. Dani nodded and turned back to the office as Nico left.

TK was sitting happily on the sofa when Dani walked in.

"Nico leave already?" He asked.

Dani nodded and sat down in her chair, opting to just let TK get all his excitement out and then move on.

"Man, I so called that, like over a year ago, I just knew ya know? I mean I liked Matty D and all but Nico had a thing for you for a long time, I am a dude too, we just kinda know these things. Oh, man! But you two are like a thing now, you're like, Danico." He was acting so much like a giddy child Dani couldn't help but smile.

"Danico?" She asked,

"Yeah ya know Dani and Nico, Danico." He spread his hands in the air as if the words were written above him.

"Like me and Sheera are SheK. It's like you're couple name, ya know Brangalina, that sorta thing?"

"Whatever you say Terrance." She said.

"Danico." He said again, "Got a pretty nice ring to it don't you think Doc?" He asked, settling back on the sofa.

"It does, but I have a feeling it's not what you wanted to talk about." She said.

The smiled disappeared from his face, replaced by a serious scowl.

"Nah, not exactly." He said.

"So what's going on then?" She asked.

"It's just, I told Sheera about what's been going on, with the drug trial and all that, she thinks I should go through with it. She says it doesn't matter if it's illegal because everyone's doing it." TK said with a bit of a sneer.

"But everyone isn't doing it." Dani told him.

"No, and ya know I've been through enough the past few years to understand the risks of what this could do, not only to me but to my career." He raised his voice a bit, Dani nodded.

"I understand Terrance, and honestly I think it's wonderful that you realize that, I don't think the TK that I first met would have said the same thing." She said.

"You're right, he probably wouldn't have." TK agreed.

"So can I be brutally honest with you?" She asked.

"When are you not?" He said with a bit of a smile.

"I don't think Sheera is a very good person for you to be hanging around with. I know I sound like a paranoid mom but I just don't want to see you throw away all the positive steps you've made in the right direction for something you think might be love." She said. TK was quiet for a while, thinking it over.

"I was thinking the same thing." He finally said.

"And that's okay Terrance, you need to put yourself first here, only you know what's best for you and if Sheera is trying to convince you otherwise then maybe she shouldn't be part of the equation anymore." Dani said.

TK nodded in agreement.

"I knew you'd say that but," He stopped short and shrugged.

"I know Terrance, you need to make the final decision though, that's up to you." She said.

"Yeah I hear ya doc."

They spoke for a while longer about TK's ambition to beat Coach Wiz and how he still missed being a New York Hawk but Dani could tell in the back of his mind he was making a decision about Sheera. When he finally was ready to leave his eyes seemed much clearer.

"It was nice getting to chat with ya again Dr. D." TK said as he opened the back door to her office.

"It was, you know if you ever need to talk you can just call me." Dani said honestly. TK had grown into much more than a client in these past three years, he meant a lot to Dani.

"I know, and thanks for helping me out with, ya know." He leaned in and wrapped her in a hug.

"It's no problem Terrance." She said, hugging him back.

"Just stay safe, whatever Nico is gonna have you do, criminal charges can take down your career too remember."

"Nah, Sneako is lookin out for me, just like he's lookin out for you." He said with a wink.

"Terrance, let's not go talking about Nico and I to everyone okay? The two of us are still trying to figure out what all this is between us; I don't want a bunch of rumors stirred up." She said.

"Hey, I got ya Doc, no problem." He said with a smile.

"Alright, feel better okay." She said, pointing to his shoulder.

"Thanks, and hey, you feel better too alright?" She understood what he meant and she smiled.

"Thanks Terrance."

"See ya Doc." He gave her a quick wave as he slipped out the door and suddenly he house was filled with silence again.

Dani couldn't stand the silence. She was so used to her house being filled with noise for so many years that the silence was defining. She'd become used to it in the past few months, with Ray Jay gone and Lindsey barely at the house, she'd come to terms with it but now it just seemed oppressing. She had to much on her mind and the silence wasn't helping.

When Nico got back to her house around seven there was music filtering through the house, a song he didn't know. He followed it out into the kitchen where Dani stood over the stove, stirring something in a pot.

"I hope you haven't eaten." She said without looking up at him. He was stunned for a second, he knew he hadn't made that much noise coming in; usually he was the one to surprise her.

"How'd you know I was even here?" He asked, genuinely curious. She stopped her stirring motions and stood still for a second, then turned to face him, a confused look gracing her features.

"I don't know, it just felt like you were here." She said.  
"You really shouldn't leave your door unlocked, I was serious earlier. As great as it is that you want to get back to normal, I don't want to take any chances." He told her.

"Alright, so go lock the door then." She said with a sigh, turning back to her pot.

"I already did." He stepped up beside her, smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You cook when you're stressed don't you?" He asked quietly. She sighed and turned to look at the three course meal she had laid out on the island.

"Ya think?" He let out a laugh and kissed her on the lips.

"I think it's cute." He said with a smile. "Plus it smells delicious."

They sat down at the table to eat. Nico poured them both a glass of wine.

"So did you find out anything else about the clinic?" Dani asked a few minutes into dinner.

"Not a lot but I can say for sure that something is going on there. Both Crabcheck and Hutch were being seen by the doctors there before they disappeared." He explained. Dani's eyes went wide.

"Wait, you said Hutch disappeared?" She asked.

"Yeah, didn't Paloma call you?" Dani shook her head and pulled her phone over to her.

"Dani don't worry about it now it's already done with." Nico said, taking her hand in his.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I didn't get all the details, something happened this morning, apparently he told Connor that he was quitting baseball and he just dropped off the radar." He said.

"I have to figure out where he's at, Hutch wouldn't just do that." She went to pick up her phone again.

"I already have people on it Dani." She turned to look at him.

"I knew you'd want to find out where he went, I already have people looking for him, the second they get any lead they'll call okay. Right now let's just, eat, okay, take a breath."  
Dani didn't realize how worked up she'd gotten until he said that, her hands were shaking and she felt light headed. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths.

"Okay?" he asked when she opened her eyes again.

"Yeah, thank you Nico." She gave his hand a squeeze and he smiled.

"No problem, I know how important your patients are to you."

They finished dinner with light conversation; Nico felt it best to not continue talking about the clinic. He didn't know much to begin with, he didn't want to speculate and get Dani worked up again. So they talked about TK and how Dani had made him promise to keep what he'd seen today to himself. Nico said he'd keep an eye on him as well which made Dani laugh. Nico asked about the kids and Dani said they were both doing fine, that she'd checked in this morning and things were going well.

When they finished eating he helped her clean up, and box up the food they couldn't eat, sitting it in the fridge for later. By the time they were done it was nearly eight thirty and Dani was exhausted. She didn't realize her Ipod was still playing music in the background until Nico pulled her close and started swaying with her to the music.

"What are you doing?" She said with a laugh, brushing a few stray pieces of hair from her eyes.

"We're dancing, you're still stressed I can tell, you need to relax." He pulled her in closer and she laid her head against his chest.

"I am just worried about Hutch and whatever's goin on with the clinic, and TK," She intended to continue but Nico cut her off,

"Shh, this is what I mean about stress. We'll figure everything out Dani, just give it time okay?"  
"But what if we don't have time? Hutch could be in danger, TK too, you don't know how illegal this stuff is, if the people who run the clinic think they're going to talk to police, they could be coming after them. Maybe that's why Troy came after me, because,"  
This time he cut her off with his lips. She made a small squeal of surprise but it quickly melted into a moan of appreciation.

"Stop thinking about it." He whispered quietly when he pulled back. Her eyes still closed, she nodded and laid her head back against his chest. He held her close until the song ended, then pulled back to look at her.

"You should get some rest. I should have news about Hutch by tomorrow." He said, holding onto her hands.

"And TK?" She asked.

"He said he'd text me when they schedule him for his first dose. It should be any day now." He explained. Dani nodded.

"I promise, I'll take care of it okay?"  
She looked up at him, her eyes soft and open. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek.

"I trust you." She said quietly. He moved both of his hands up to hold her face.

"It's not about trust Dani, I am not doing this to make you trust me, I am doing it because I know what it means to you, and I'd do anything to help you."

She reached up to kiss him, a feat without her heels, he was a whole head taller than her, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Will you stay tonight?" She asked, her forehead resting against his. He nodded.

"Of course, I'll stay for as long as you want me to Dani, you don't have to ask." She smiled and kissed him again.

"Good, because I don't think I want to fall asleep without you anymore." Her voice was quiet, almost like she was frightened to admit it, and she wouldn't quite look him in the eye. He tipped her chin up to look at him.

"I don't want to wake up in the morning without you." She smiled and pulled him close.

The rest of the night was quiet. They made their way upstairs in the dark, took their respective turns in the bathroom and then settled into bed. Nico pulled her in close and she fit herself into his embrace and it was perfect. He held her hand and rubbed comforting circles on her back with the other and eventually she drifted to sleep with the sound of his heartbeat in her ear.


End file.
